


World of Gold

by teenage_psycho



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood, Death, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Future, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Multi, Sad, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 08:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18936754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teenage_psycho/pseuds/teenage_psycho
Summary: "It is rare that courts of the Faerie realm share the same opinion of something. Having one Faerie community hate you is enough to cause a serious threat; having three is something that would cause many of the strongest Shadowhunters to have nightmares every night."--Julian Blackthorn becomes the Head of the Los Angeles Institute, and the Blackthorn family (and friends) have settled down quite a bit. They all find themselves in the middle of peace, but they don't realize that they're only in the Eye of the Storm. Unfortunately, they're fast approaching the other half of the hurricane they call life.When Julian gets disturbing news, he hides it from his family to protect him -- little does he know that this decision could cost him his life.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Panic_at_the_bookstore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panic_at_the_bookstore/gifts).



The Wild Hunt always held a grudge against the Blackthorns. Mark had left the Hunt, which is an unprecedented occurrence that no member approves of. Naturally, they will forever feel as though the Blackthorns stole something from them. After all, in their eyes, they did.

 

The Seelie Court always held a grudge against the Blackthorns. They intruded on Seelie Lands, and ruined the power they had been building. If the Queen had a chance, every living person with the Blackthorn name would be obliterated into dust.

 

The Unseelie Court always held a grudge against the Blackthorns. They gave Kieran Kingson the opportunity to overturn the government. Because of the Blackthorns, their king was killed. The Blackthorns are a Nephilim family that any loyal citizen of the Unseelie Court would do anything in their power to kill.

 

It is rare that courts of the Faerie realm share the same opinion of something. Having one Faerie community hate you is enough to cause a serious threat; having three is something that would cause many of the strongest Shadowhunters to have nightmares every night.

 

Julian was one of them.

 

He was the only person who knew the true threat that Faeries were to their Institute at the moment. He did everything in his power to keep the younger ones from knowing. Emma had pieced it together on her own, slowly coming to realize that the Los Angeles Institute was under a very constant and very real threat. While she could do just as much as Julian to protect them, Julian never treated her as an equal. It was either that, or it was that he wanted to protect her, too. 

 

Julian found himself in his office, pacing the floor. Ever since he took over as Head of the Los Angeles Institute, he’d been pacing. Each day, his anxieties honed in on something else.

 

Today, it was the Faerie problem. 

 

He had filing cabinets filled with information on the problem. Julian went to one, opening it and shuffling until he found a particular purple folder. He pulled it out and returned to his desk. Before he even had a chance to open it, small scraps of paper that had been haphazardly shoved in fluttered onto his dark mahogany desk.

 

Shuffling through them, he realized that he did not remember putting them into it. They were images, with rough writing on the back of each of them. Julian’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion overtaking him. Each sentence on each of them was written in an incoherent language, one that Julian was not familiar with. 

 

Julian was hit with an idea. The only person in the Institute that could help him in the present moment was Ty. He was miraculous at solving puzzles, and he knew every Downworlder tongue there was.

 

Of course, there was the difficulty of finding Ty. As Julian walked through the long corridors of the Institute, he thought about Ty. It wasn’t that he was always in a different room. In fact, Ty tended to stay within a few rooms. His room, Livvy’s old room, the library, and his secret room were the only places he wandered to. The problem, however, was that he curled up on windowsills, rafters, and anything else he could find. Ty acted quite a bit like a cat, and Julian truly loved cats.

 

Julian reached the library, pushing the door open and calling, “Ty? I have a mystery I need you to help me solve. Are you busy right now?”

 

There was shuffling up in the rafters, and Julian tipped his head up. He saw a mess of black curls up in the rafters, then he saw the rest of Ty. He was curled in the geometry of the rafters, his arm draped lazily over the edge as he read. His headphones were on his head, and Julian smiled. It was rare that he saw Ty in such peace and bliss. Even though it had been years since Livvy’s death, he knew Ty could and would never move on.

 

Knowing Ty couldn’t hear him right now, Julian went to the rafters and began to climb. He scaled the wall that Ty was facing, knowing that sneaking up on him was the worst possible idea right now. Sneak up on Ty, and you could end up with a knife to your throat.

 

Ty’s eyes drifted up and rested on Julian once he noticed him. His gray eyes flicked around the room as he was brought back to reality. When Julian reached his level, he made the gentle gesture that he had created to help Ty feel safe. This movement asked if it was okay if Julian drew nearer. Ty nodded, slipping his headphones off.

  
“Hi, Jules. Is lunch ready or something?” Ty said.

 

Julian smiled and sat beside him. He ruffled his hair, even though Ty was 18 now. “Always hungry, huh? It’s not lunch time yet. Only ten in the morning.”

 

Ty’s face remained emotionless, but his ever so thoughtful eyes brightened with curiosity. “Oh. Then why are you here?”

 

“I found a mystery that I need you to help me solve,” Ty’s face lit up. “Can you help me?”

 

Ty nodded excitedly. “Yes. Can I get Kit? He’s my Watson.” Julian smiled and ruffled his hair. Ever since Ty had come out, it had made Julian so happy to see Ty happy. It wasn’t really a true coming-out. Ty didn’t really realize that he was gay. He didn’t understand it, and it seems as though he never will. Instead, Ty stood up during breakfast and kissed Kit.

 

It was the most beautiful thing Julian had ever seen, so of course he nodded. “Of course, my Ty. Let’s go find the Herondale, then go to my office. I’ll show you guys.” Julian started to climb back to the ground. He looked up to see if Ty needed any help, but he was gone already. He glanced down and found Ty standing on the ground, looking up at him blankly.

 

“Keep up.” Ty said, turning and walking out of the library. Julian chuckled. He forgets how grown Ty has become.

 

\--

 

After finding Kit, the three went to Julian’s office. Julian led the way, acting truly like the leader he is. Kit and Ty lagged a bit behind, and Julian could only catch little bits of their conversation. They were whispering to each other, and Kit was rubbing Ty’s back. Their conversation seemed to be getting a little less appropriate, and Julian couldn’t control his uncomfortableness in the moment. 

 

His prayers were answered when they reached his office before it got too scandalous for such a holy place.

 

They went in, and Julian laid the images out in front of Ty. “There’s writing on the back, too. In another language.”

 

Immediately, Ty understood what to do. “You need to arrange them in order. The images. They’re all pieces of a larger pattern. And the language on the back is ancient Faerie. Older than time. Though, time is a construct of our imagination. Time doesn’t exist, and Faeries are the only people who truly understand it. Which is exactly why Faeries are so fascinating.”

 

The corners of Kit’s mouth perked up. “Hey, I have Faerie blood. Is that why you love me?” Ty turned to him, his eyes scanning Kit’s grinning face.

 

Ty realized it was a joke, and his face lightened. “It’s the only reason I do.” The darker haired boy turned back to the desk and started arranging the images. Kit gently went to him. He began rubbing his back again, then moved Ty’s headphones back onto his ears. Ty smiled briefly, his eyes focused as he worked.

 

Kit shrugged to Julian, and Julian just smiled. This was Ty - pure and simple. Ty was focused, intelligent, and special. No other Nephilim mind could think the thoughts that he did, or accomplish the things that he did.

 

After a short period of time, Ty yelped. “I got it!” He turned triumphantly. Julian went over and bent over the pattern that Ty had created.

 

It was strange; it seemed to be a painting, almost like hieroglyphics. There were crude stick figures drawn, showing the stick figures walking through a forest and into a court. Inside the court, however, the terror began. There was an image of six people hanging from ropes, dead. The first was a small male with brown hair. The second was a larger female with matching hair. The third was a male with black hair. The fourth, a man with brown hair. Next to him, there hung a girl with locks of golden hair. Lastly, a boy with similar golden hair. Above the first four, the Blackthorn emblem lay emblazoned. Similarly, the golden girl had the Carstairs symbol and the golden boy had the Herondale symbol.

 

Julian gave a little gasp. He turned and looked at the two boys standing before him. “Say nothing of this to anyone else. Christopher, leave. Ty, tell me what the back says and swear you will make no other advances to solve this case.”

 

Kit made a face, but left anyway. Ty looked at Julian. “Jules, why-”

 

Julian snapped. “What did I say about questioning me? Just do what I say for once!” Ty looked down, sighing a little. 

 

“Sorry.”

 

Ty flipped each page over, and read the words aloud, in English. “For crimes of which have caused great turmoil to those of seelie heritage, the Blackthorns and two of their affiliates shall report immediately to the Seelie Court to be tried. If this message should be ignored, they will be executed with no trial or chance for negotiation. This is the first and final warning that will be issued. Those in question include Octavian Blackthorn, Drusilla Blackthorn, Tiberius Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Emma Carstairs, and Christopher Herondale.” Ty glanced up at Julian, holding back a flood of questions.

 

“Thank you, Ty. Don’t worry about this. I can handle it. I swear.” Julian said, gently wrapping an arm around Ty’s shoulder.

 

“I’m going to worry about this, Jules. Please let me help. This is really bad.” Ty pleaded, turning into Julian’s arms.

 

Julian sadly shook his head. “No. Absolutely not.”

 

Ty sighed. He knew his older brother enough just to let it go. “Okay. Just don’t let us all die, okay?” Ty moved out of his arms and left. Julian turned back to the image, staring at it. Horror rocked his body.

 

“I won’t, Ty. We’ll live long enough to see Kit propose to you.”


	2. Chapter 2

There had been no more word from the Faerie realm regarding the last message, and Julian didn’t know how to feel about that. A part of him took it as a sign that they had decided to be peaceful, but the second part of him was paranoid. Silence was never a good sign.

He tried his best to distract himself, which was easier said than done. When he woke on one bright, sunny summer day, he sat up into the golden beams of the sun. It was a perfect day for the beach, which was always the perfect technique to keep the children happy. However, his Emma was not in bed as usual. She tended to sleep in until noon and later, and it was always a strange occurrence if she woke up on a regular person’s timeframe.

Curious, Julian went downstairs and found the kitchen buzzing with life. This was his favorite kind of morning, and a grin grew on his face. Ty was sitting on the windowsill with Kit, and Mark was standing next to them. They seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation, with Mark showing Ty some Faerie relics. Dru was sitting at the island, giggling with Jaime about something. Julian made a face, rolling his eyes. 

He wanted Jaime to leave, but he just wouldn’t. He was adamant to stay, and if Julian had learned anything about the Rosales family, it was that they were just as stubborn as the Blackthorns. 

As Julian’s eyes wandered around the bustling kitchen, his eyes landed on Emma, who was perched atop the fridge. She grinned and waved down at him, and Julian rolled his eyes again.

“Hello, Emma. Is that your seat for breakfast today? I’m sure the waffles will taste even better up on that dusty fridge.” Julian chuckled, beginning to retrieve the ingredients for waffles from all of the different pantries and cabinets of the kitchen. Most Institute kitchens were barely stocked and in disrepair, but Julian made it a point to keep his kitchen clean and filled. He even locked certain cabinets to keep people from using his favorite things, such as his blender or his griddle.

When he went into that specific cabinet and emerged victorious with his griddle, every child in the kitchen cheered simultaneously. Especially Tavvy, who, even though he was not so young anymore, was still the youngest. Therefore, he would never fully mature.

Julian made the waffles amongst the chorus of them all asking when the waffles would be ready. After all, Julian’s waffles were the hallmark of the Los Angeles Institute. 

Emma dashed over to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. The poor, naive Julian smiled and thought she was just being sweet, but realized that she had snatched a waffle and hid it behind her back. Julian glared at her.

“Hey, you know the rules, Carstairs. No one eats until the Julian eats.” Julian scolded, reaching to take the waffle back. Emma grinned and twisted away from him, tossing the waffle to Tavvy.

“Eat, it Tavvy! Eat it before your evil big brother stops you!” She yelled, and Tavvy grinned widely and ate it. Julian groaned.

“Thank you, Memma!” Tavvy giggled, sticking his tongue out at Julian.

“Not cool, Emma,” Kit said, an eyebrow raised. “Steal one for me, too.”

Emma winked at Kit. “If I get an opportunity, I will. I will steal for all of you!” Emma exclaimed, and plopped down next to Julian and stared at him. Naturally, Julian turned so his back was to her, giving her no chance at defeating him.

Just as Emma moved to hit him out of the way, the Institute’s doorbell rang. The loud, echoing sound vibrated through each of their heads, souls, and bodies. It was a gorgeous, ominous sound, but one that affected some more than others. Ty pressed his face into Kit’s shoulder. Tavvy’s eyes welled with tears as Dru rushed to pull him close. Mark brought his hand up to his forehead. Emma and Julian just looked at each other, eyes wide.

Of course, the doorbell had rung before and after Jonathan Morgenstern and his Endarkened had attacked. Before and after Julian had to kill his own father.

Taking a breath, Julian turned to them. “It’s okay, guys. I’ll go get it. It’s just the doorbell, okay? Nothing to be afraid of.” Julian’s voice was gentle, and he gently kissed each sibling’s head to comfort them. The only one he didn’t kiss was Mark. Mark was still his older brother, and Julian smiled sadly up at Mark. The two hugged gently, then Julian left.

When Julian reached the front of the Institute, he was met with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The air was too warm, suffocating him.

This feeling was familiar, and one that he believed was nothing. He was Julian Blackthorn; he could push through this.

Steeling himself and locking his jaw, Julian swung the door open. He was met with the sight of a small Faerie. Her hair was bright pink, and her cheeks were flushed. She was short, and craned her neck up to look at him.

“Julian Blackthorn?” She said timidly. A shy faerie was something that Julian had never witnessed, and it took him off guard.

“Yes? Who are you?”

The girl handed him a leaf. “I am a messenger of the Seelie Queen. She requests your presence in the next twenty-four hours. She doesn’t wish to break the accords if she doesn’t have to.”

Julian cocked an eyebrow. “The Seelie Queen chose you to be a messenger? You’re so timid. Why didn’t she send someone brave?”

The girl’s pink hair darkened. “Don’t insult me.”

A smirk formed on Julian’s face, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “You know what I like to do to messengers? I like to kill them. It really sends the message.”

A soft squeak of terror escaped from the girl’s lips. “Oh, please, don’t! Your grudge is not with me!”

“Oh, I do believe it is,” Julian said, unsheathing a blade from his hip. He grabbed the girl and brought the knife to her neck. She started crying, and Julian prepared to kill her, then-

He realized something. The Queen would not send a useless Faerie for no reason. She was testing him. The girl was expendable. The Queen wanted Julian to kill her. 

Julian pushed the girl away from him, sighing. “Go. Tell your Queen that I am not who she thinks I am. Tell her that if she wants to do something, she should come out into the light and do it herself.” He said sharply, turning back into the Institute and slamming the door shut.

His eyes shut and he fell against the wall, breathing hard. The silence was broken, and the silence proved to be a bad thing. 

When Julian regained his bearings and opened his eyes, he was met with a pair of brown eyes staring at him.

“Em. I told you I was going alone.” He said, his voice exasperated.

Emma charged at him, putting a finger on his chest. “Don’t. All you’re going to say now is tell me what the hell that was!”

“You saw it all?” Julian sighed. “Angel, Emma.”

“Of course I did! What’s going on, Jules?” Her voice was demanding, and she glared daggers at him.

“I can’t tell you, Emma,” Julian said, pushing her away and starting back into the Institute. “Don’t ask any more. There’s nothing wrong. Just the Seelie Queen being the Seelie Queen. Okay?”

Emma sighed, but said nothing more.

\--

The silence made by Emma was a dangerous sign, too. She charged up to Julian’s office seconds after watching Julian leave, slamming into the office and locking the door behind her. She grinned and began shuffling through everything in sight, but couldn’t find anything to help her curiosity.

She went through everything, but came up with nothing but stupid Clave paperwork. She nearly gave up, but noticed a strange brown box under Julian’s desk. Emma’s eyes lit up, and dove for it.

Emma put the box on the desk, looking at it curiously. It had a lock on it, immune to open runes. Emma rolled her eyes and picked the lock up.

“Wow, Jules, you underestimate me,” Emma said, throwing the box on the ground to make it crack open. She grinned and crouched down to sift through the contents.

She found a few slips of paper, all with weird patterns on them. Then she found a piece of paper in Julian’s handwriting. It said - 

For crimes of which have caused great turmoil to those of seelie heritage, the Blackthorns and two of their affiliates shall report immediately to the Seelie Court to be tried. If this message should be ignored, they will be executed with no trial or chance for negotiation. This is the first and final warning that will be issued. Those in question include Octavian Blackthorn, Drusilla Blackthorn, Tiberius Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Emma Carstairs, and Christopher Herondale.

Her eyebrows furrow. She stands, and her hands begin to shake. “We’re all going to die.”


End file.
